Coote’s Builder’s Merchants, Northern Ireland

Coote’s Builder’s Merchants has upgraded its sawing facilities with a Striebig Compact vertical panel machine after winning a contract to provide plywood sheet sections to a local box maker.

The sheets were initially cut to size on a flatbed saw at the Ballygawley, Co. Tyrone, company in Northern Ireland, but this proved to be too slow and too labour intensive, as well as inaccurate. Managing director, Isobel Coote, said: “We were not getting total accuracy from the flatbed saw which led to complaints from the customer.

Striebig Compact improves accuracy

“Being a few millimetres out was a big problem for them as it prevented the plywood sections fitting together correctly first time, which doesn’t happen with the Striebig vertical panel saw because of its accuracy.

“The flatbed saw needed two people to cut the sheets but it’s a one-man job with the Striebig and, because of its built-in safety features, I know that we now meet all the necessary health and safety regulations.”

As well as sizing plywood sheets for the box maker the Striebig also cuts plywood and MDF panels to the sizes required by DIY enthusiasts and other retail customers.

The space-saving Compact 4164 is the smallest of the models in the entry-level Compact range, with a maximum cutting size of 3100 x 1644mm and a cutting depth of 60mm.

It was supplied and installed by T.I. Machinery, the Belfast-based Northern Ireland sub-agents for T.M. Machinery Sales Ltd, the UK’s exclusive Striebig distributor.

Designed for use with smaller panels, the Compact sets new standards for ease of use together with exceptional degrees of accuracy and versatility. It is based on a single, fully welded sawing frame to give decades of reliable service whilst maintaining cutting precision.

There are five models in Compact range with cut sizes ranging up to 5350 x 2200mm, making them suitable for sizing the largest panels available. Each has a maximum cutting depth of 60mm.

All five models are now available in versions incorporating an automatic cut cycle facility to make them even more productive. This feature was previously only to be found on Striebig’s more expensive Control models.